By Annais Morales

The New York City Council held an emergency meeting yesterday to grill federal authorities after an investigation found that a toxic substance is contaminating the city’s schools.

PCBs were found in several public schools across the city at unsafe levels, said Councilman Robert Jackson at the City Hall hearing. The carcinogen was found in the soil outside I.S. 181 in the Bronx, and P.S. 199 in Manhattan where it was also found in indoor air and dust.

The substance was widely used in caulking during construction of 266 schools in the city before 1977 when the government banned the chemical. The hazardous substance has been linked to cancer, asthma, developmental disorders, anti-social behavior and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, among other illnesses.

“We cannot afford to gamble with the well-being of 1.1 million school children,” Jackson said.

Federal Environmental Protection Agency experts testified that they are not mandated to test buildings built before the ban was put into effect, stating that building owners are the ones who decide whether or not to make an inspection. However, if PCBs are found, the owner must correct the problem or face stiff penalties.

Chairman of the Investigations Oversight Committee Eric Gioia asked EPA officials if it was too expensive to test all 266 remaining schools. Officials said that cost was a factor, and suggested that only schools that have been renovated be tested. Gioia called the EPA “a regulator that is not regulating,” and said this was a, “toothless watchdog effort.”

EPA officials vowed to work closely with city and state agencies to implement protocols.